Meditation with Stephanie

It's Wednesday. The mid point of our working week, and a great opportunity to pause and reflect on the days of the week that have just past, and also to reflect on what we wish to embody for the remaining days of our work week. When we move through this reflection, notice when you are in your list-making, organizing, rational mind. While there is no need to beat yourself up if your mind is flurried during this meditation, see if you can drop into the body and sense feeling tones of the week that just past, and also how you wish to live out of the rest of the week. 

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The breath is often the anchor that is most commonly used when we meditate. And this makes sense. The breath is always with us, and at any point we can ground ourselves by taking those three deep breaths that are often glorified. Another anchor that can be nurturing, especially when we are in a state of flurry, is sound. Whether you are on a walk, or commuting to work on a train or bus, taking a few moments to zone out and widen your senses to observe all sounds, both near and far, can bring you closer into the moment you're experiencing. This anchor might not be as effective for you as the breath, but it's okay. There's no need to compare. The anchors are there for you to use as and when you need them. 

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The breath generally has four parts to it. The in breath, pause, out breath, followed by another pause. We can notice each part as a whole, or we can zoom in further to really become intimate with the beginning, middle, and end of the in breath, and vice versa with the out breath. Zooming in to each part of the breath allows ourselves to hone presence on a deeper level, showing us just how nurturing the breath can be.

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We are living in a time where pain is prevalent, and whole communities and societies are enduring suffering so many of us cannot fathom. From war and famine, to disease, there is a sense of helplessness and despair many of us feel. While there are ways to contribute and relieve this suffering (such as money donations, supplies etc), we can also energetically contribute to the healing of our world through the practice of kindness.

"Kindness is the water for humanity. Without it, we dry up." - Ruth King. We first start by practicing kindness to our loved ones, then ourselves. We extend this kindness to those not so easy to love, and eventually open up, extending our loving kindness to all beings on this earth.

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So this episode starts kinda weird. I introduce Gibberish, a fantastic preparatory technique that allows the practitioner to prepare themselves physically and mentally for a meditation practice. Gibberish uses nonsensical sounds and bodily movement to clear the "noise in our head" which allows for more presence and spaciousness during the meditation.

My advice would be to let go of the egoic walls that protect us, and instead commit fully to the technique, despite how odd you may appear to look. Just let go!

For more visual cues on how Gibberish should be performed, research Gibberish Meditation on Google.

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A simple meditation for those who wish to take a pause in their lives. Whether you use the breath as an anchor, or even sound, the art of coming back repeatedly into this moment is what inevitably builds resilience in our minds.

If you love these meditations, show your support at https://www.patreon.com/meditationwithstephanie.

In this episode we follow the counting of 4-2-6-2 (Inhale for 4 beats, hold for 2, exhale for 6 beats, hold again for 2).

Breath retention is a fantastic way to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, and a great tool to access if you notice your stress systems start to flurry.

If you love these meditations, show your support at https://www.patreon.com/meditationwithstephanie.

MR happens when pressure is applied to certain body parts to relieve muscle tension and release trigger points. It is a great tool for injury prevention and It is a great tool for injury prevention and helps release stubborn knots that perpetually linger in the body.

As the practice of yin yoga focuses on releasing tension in our fascia and deeper tissues, this practice allows us to first smash the 'knots' in our fascia, before gently pulling on these soft tissues. This will increase oxygenation and blood flow for better movement and recovery.